The service lives of vehicle batteries are influenced by the ambient temperatures of the batteries as well as the radiation temperatures of the batteries themselves.
In particular, a 12V battery disposed in an engine compartment has a limited service life because the periphery of the battery is exposed to high temperature (80° C. or more) in the engine compartment. The temperature in the engine compartment has been generally increasing as well due to the increase in engine power and the enlargement of turbo engines.
In order to prevent the life or performance of a battery disposed in an engine compartment from deteriorating due to the increase in the temperature thereof (i.e. in order to prevent thermal damage to the battery) in the related art, a cover made of a heat-resistant material may be installed to enclose the whole battery and shield it from the engine (see FIG. 1). However, the cover also blocks the radiation of heat from the battery itself to the outside, and hence increases the temperature of the battery. For this reason, the performance of the battery may be degraded.
In addition, in order to introduce outside air into the battery and cool the battery in the related art, a separate duct is installed such that the battery communicates with the front of the vehicle through the duct. However, because the amount of outside air introduced into the vehicle is increased due to the formation of the duct, there are problems in that the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle is degraded and fuel efficiency is hence degraded. Moreover, since a greater radiator grille must be formed at the front of the vehicle due to the duct, there is a problem in that design constraints occur.